Wayne Bristow talks about fear - fear of public speaking, fear of condoms breaking and fear of passing on HIV,

I will never let fear rule my life or ruin my happiness but, let me tell you, fear has had its moments in my life.
The first time I was asked to share my story was several years ago, at the University of Guelph for about 100 students in a sexual behaviours class. Just walking into one of the lecture halls, it was like stepping on to many movies sets. It was intimidating for sure. Seeing all of the students filing in one by one, I started to get nervous.
Lucky for me, there was one other spea

Guesting naturopathic doctor Timothy Swift on ways to make the pain go away

“I feel your pain” is often the response from friends when you share an ache or discomfort you are having. But what is pain? I am here to tell you pain manifests as different things to different people for different reasons. My pain is not your pain nor vice versa. SImilar perhaps, but not likely the same cause and effect.
I want to offer you some insight into pain and solutions that you can implement today. I also invite you to check out my website for more information on pa

Dave R.: "It becomes a whole new physical and mental reality when your body physically lets you down but you still need to function in society. The world can suddenly become a far less friendly place."

"So this is a small plea for a little more understanding for the less able on the street. Even noticing we exist is a start and a little kindness goes a very long way ......"
I wasn’t in any way prepared for what it did to me when I first stepped outside the house with a walking stick. Who knew you could immediately add ten years to your life by leaving the house with wood in your hand! Okay, paranoid much? Not really; just try it and see how people look at you. Sounds silly but it’s tru

Our LA guy Kengi on what a difference three years can make. From homelessness to putting on an art show.

ENUF is provided by Kengi (www.dosomethingsaturday.org)
It’s Friday, June 22, 2012 at approximately 4:43pm. It’s been a beautifully warm sunny day with a slight breeze. A week from today on June 29, 2012 I will celebrate 3 years to the end of my 29 months of homelessness. This time 3 years ago I was praying that my appointment with the Los Angeles Housing Authority would go well. I recall June 22, 2009 as being a sunny warm day and I remember wanting the week to pass rather quickly, so

Black CAP scores! Bob Leahy goes to a remarkable evening of coalitions, expert talk and “verbatim theatre” featuring young black men finding their way, staying healthy and building on resilience - Young G(ay)ifted and Black..

It was an unusual double bill this past Wednesday at Buddies in Bad Times, the queer theatre HQ in downtown Toronto, on the edge of the gay village. But here's the challenge: how to merge a panel discussion about 3MV, the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP)’s flagship program for engaging young black men – and theatre? But not just any theatre – theatre featuring the testimonies of some of the program’s graduates. Did it work, you ask? It sure did. In fact the whole

Mark S. King on the dumbest question of all. Insulting too.

I took a shower this morning. I am clean. I might work out at the gym later, or maybe the trash bag will break on the way outside and I will scoop up coffee grounds and put them back into the bag. I will then be dirty. I will shower again. And I will be clean.
Anyone who questions whether or not HIV stigma is on the rise need look no further than online profiles and hookup sites, in which “Are you clean?” is asked with infuriating regularity. Or perhaps you have suffered the indignity o

Mirvan Ereon on his two t-cells, his outlook on life and his message for other people living with HIV.

I have one of the lowest CD4 counts in my HIV/AIDS treatment hub here in the Philippines. I got my first ever count last February 2012 and my next count is in August 2012. Based on my results, my CD4 is only 2. Yes, TWO. Not 200, not 20. 1 + 1 = 2.
A person without HIV or any issues with his immune system has a CD4 of 500 and above. 350 below, you would have to start with antiretrovirals to help your failing immune system. A CD4 count of 200 below is technically AIDS already. So how about me?

CATIE’s James Wilton explores the use of HIV treatment to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Do the personal and public health benefits coincide or clash?

This article by James Wilton first appeared in The Positive Side, a publication of CATIE.
Une version française est disponible ici.
The journal Science named it the breakthrough of 2011 and Time magazine ranked it among its Top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year, so you may have heard of the term “treatment as prevention” by now. If not, we can fill you in. It has at its core the idea that HIV treatment can reduce the risk of HIV transmission, and it is set to mark a historic shif

OHTN Cohort Study data adds to our knowledge of what smoking does to the health and quality of life of people living with HIV who smoke – and the news is not good. Bob Leahy points to what has to happen next.

It’s something we’ve been told for years – the best way to improve health and wellness outcomes is stopping smoking, a habit currently shared by about 58% of people living with HIV according to (2007) Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) Ontario Cohort Study (OCS) data. If there is good news here, it’s that this prevalence rate is down from over 70% in 2001. But HIVers’ smoking rates remain much higher than in the general population, where nicotine use stands at about 20%.
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Michael Bouldin: "If you’ve spent more than a few minutes online – and if you’re reading this, odds are you have – you’ve probably seen it: ‘Follow me on Twitter’, or ’Follow us on Twitter’". What does this mean? Michael explains - and more!

#HIV – Twitter 101 for people with HIV
(This is Part 2 of a series on social media and HIV. Read the first installment here. Part 3, Twitter 102 – Twitter as an information channel, coming soon.)
If you’ve spent more than a few minutes online – and if you’re reading this, odds are you have – you’ve probably seen it: ‘Follow me on Twitter’, or ’Follow us on Twitter’. Usually, those words link to another web page, one usually hosted on, you guessed it, Twitter.com.
Follo